Beyond the Call of Duty
by YaoiSongstress07
Summary: X/Axl, Zero/Spider. Ch 2 is up! A young Hunter returns home, but what horrors will X, Zero and Spider uncover? As they reflect on the past and present, will a future threaten to overwhelm them?
1. Take Flight, My Love

Welcome to another adventure of mine, dearies! Before you dive in, heed these words: this fic will contain heavy YAOI (boy/boy love, guy-on-guy action, what have you). **If you're even the TINIEST bit allergic to BOY/BOY love, then this won't fit your bill! Thanks for stopping by, though!**

Disclaimer: I only own this stuff in my dreams.

* * *

The Scouts of the Aquarian Age were merciless. Out of every threat he faced, they were certainly some of the greatest. Created by an a scientist that would never be seen by man's eyes, they were the distillations of primal viciousness. They pushed the limits of sanity in their pursuit of power, working to erase humans and 'ignorant' Reploids from the Earth. Only one Reploid was worthy of their grace, and that Reploid was the very source of his anguish. That same Reploid was responsible for a tremendous threat to his life-the greatest threat of all.

His feet were dragging him through Gemini's territory. The stench of oil clouds and flame penetrated his noise, while the dissonance of a factory churned in his ears. Zero and Spider were pitting their lives against Gemini's representative, working as one entity of lightning. Spider was certainly a welcome ally, as the mere mention of his name brought about a rush of tranquility. With him in their presence, the security of their future was tightened. Zero's life was under tight security, closely supervised by a Reploid that cherished the Hunter's life over his own. The wandering mercenary was filling in a place that would have been left alone, if it hadn't been for the Scouts. If they had just kept themselves out of the picture, the trio of Reploids could have healed their precious friend's heart! They could have worked their magic, healing a broken heart with profound love. The Scouts interfered, forcing their way into their lives. The weaknesses of the Black Tiger were used to their advantage, and four lives were thrown into turmoil.

His heart and body ached, viewing the images of his mind's eye. The heart and eyes of the Tiger filled him with such joy, he believed he'd burst. The happiness he felt, whenever he even thought of the other's name, was fierce enough to scorch the surface of the sun. Unfortunately, his rapture was accompanied by equally powerful pain. The Tiger's existence was endangered, dragged underneath the vices of the Scouts. In addition to that, the young Hunter's heart was distant. The one that had captured X's heart was on a remote island, standing alone in a wave of doubt.

Axl knew. He knew of the past that would forever live between two Hunters. He knew of Zero's sacrifices, and X's long pursuit of his liberation. He knew of the photographs they snapped together, and of the battles they shared. The crimson Hunter found himself in the spotlight several times, placed in the center of the world's destruction-and his inner destruction. X was always there to lift him up, never resting until the other Hunter was safe and sound. Spider wasn't included in his sources of his anguish, but the two Hunters were responsible for everything. His pain, his sorrow, his frustration...and his decision to visit the Scouts. The chieftain promised him the sun, the moon and the world. Suffering from a world of loneliness, the Black Tiger couldn't resist. According to Axl, no one cared about him, so who would care if Pisces took him into his custody?

Zero worried about him incessantly, only speaking if the situation called for his voice. His flirtatious comments to Spider still took flight, but not as much as they used to. When the two of them first met, they couldn't stop their ballet dances, hand kisses and compliments. Of course, their exaggerated love life was made in good fun. When Axl (who swore up and down that he was all right, and not the least bit lonely) was swept into Pisces's arms, everything between them changed. Their flowery shows of flirting were short and few, but at least their feelings remained intact. Spider, who fell in love with Axl on first sight, simmered his roguish, energetic demeanor. Of course he loved Axl in a way that differed from X's love, but he loved him all the same. Zero rarely spoke, and didn't go about his usual teasing with X.

He fell to his knees, dragged down by exhaustion. Panting, he found his mind wandering to a smile. It was the smile of a tiger, bright and beautiful, even in the midst of smoke and flame. That very same smile transformed his world into a blurry canvas, blocking out the factory, the faint sounds of melee, and ecstasy. The vision of a dream, although breathtaking, was a source of tremendous agony. He couldn't stop aching for the real thing. Couldn't stop dreaming of the smile he once held in between his hands.

Zero and Spider were somewhere off in the distance, buying him time. He was chasing after the one he loved, cherished and craved more than oxygen. It took all of his strength to recollect the past and present, but the task was done. He had barely torn Axl out of Pisces's grasp, along with Zero and a gravely wounded Spider. Their reunion should have been joyous, but the Black Tiger tore away from everyone's grasp as a fish would have lunged out of a frying pan. He didn't want anyone to look at him, touch him-

X's eyes snapped back into the present, catching the sight of blood. Huddled into a weary, panting ball, he used his eyes to follow the trail of crimson pain. Whimpers and tears were at the end of the trail, all attached to a young Reploid. With a gasp, the Blue Bomber registered the other's identity. It was a young, familiar Reploid, a Reploid he had longed to see. It was the one he loved, and wanted to hold forever. It was-

"Axl!"

Although exhausted beyond comprehension, X rose to his feet. Arms outstretched, he made a tearful dash towards the Black Tiger. As soon as Axl caught sight of him, though, a chase began. The younger Hunter rose to his feet and bolted, instantly enraged by the sight of X. Tears flew fast and heavy between the two, with both hearts pounding on the surface of anguish. The Blue Bomber pursued the Black Tiger, almost blinded by sorrow. Axl tried his hardest to avoid the other, never looking back, but then-

"Let go of me!"

"Axl, please!"

The Black Tiger wrenched his arm out of X's hand. _"Piss off! Just get the hell away from me!"_

The Blue Bomber swiftly looked over the other's body. Heavy instrusions had been made, wreaking havoc on not only Axl's body, but his heart. Wounds were high in number, sending streams of blood into an oil-stained world. The young one was hurt, wounded, no different from an injured canine-

"Just calm down! Let me-"

_"NO! Get away from me!"_

Before the tiger could attempt another escape, the older Hunter's hand latched onto his arm. "I'm not letting you out of my sight," X vowed, voice filled with pain. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again!"

Sadness began to rise over anger. Axl's delicate, immaculate features were dripping with pain. His face truly was the face of a wounded dog, wildly beautiful but painfully difficult to behold. X wanted to comfort him, hold him, smother him in love that could soar across skies. The sight of the younger Hunter stirred something deep within, giving birth to what humans called 'passion'. It was rich, fiery, warm and lush, akin to the beauty of an ancient kingdom.

The Scouts harmed him. They wounded him in the worst ways possible. The eyes of innocence made that perfectly clear, and painfully clear to the Blue Bomber. Axl misinterpreted grief and longing, taking a few steps back. He longed for X's touch, parched from his enslavement to oblivion. Just having the older Hunter so close was intolerable, but he resisted. He kept himself from the other's warm, comforting touch, not wanting to submerge himself in everything he desperately wanted-but knew he didn't deserve.

The world around them fell silent. If Zero and Spider were in any immediate danger, X couldn't tell. All he knew was the Reploid in front of him, and the sound of his own heartbeat. "I'm never letting you go," he promised, his voice soft but intense. His grip upon the other's hand tightened, reinforcing that promise.

"You have to," the Black Tiger whimpered, although his eyes conveyed thirst. X, angered by those simple words, didn't waste a second in responding.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not worthy," the younger one replied viciously, spitting out the word 'worthy' as though it were made of poison. Instantly grimacing, X remembered how the Scouts favored that particular word. And to add salt to injury, Axl wasn't referring to the Scout agenda of world domination. "I'm not worthy, clean or even worth a dime! I'm not worth anything to any one!"

"Says who?!"

_"I do! I said that! Me me me! And you know what?! It's all true! But you wouldn't understand! You wouldn't even care!"_

"Now wait just a minute!"

"Let go of me!"

"I'm not letting go! I don't care how many times I have to repeat that! You're staying put, and that's final!"

"You can't treat me like a peon!"

"I'm not treating you like anything, Axl! Just listen to me!"

_"NO! Listen to me! The only reason as to why I'm worth anything is because of what I can do! That's IT! No one else needs me for anything else! I've got everything the Scouts need, but they don't want me! Zero doesn't want me, Spider doesn't need me, and you certainly don't want me!"_

X was lodged between a rock and a hard place. Axl was hurt, gravely hurt, lost and confused-the Scouts had done something awful, something wicked-

"What you're saying is absolutely ridiculous! We DO want you! We love you!"

"Oh yeah?! You've got the gall to say that, after you've been perfectly happy with your best pal Zero?!"

_Don't do this. Please don't do this._

"Listen to me," the legendary Hunter said, voice trembling and tearful. He caught onto a moment of Axl's silence, and was determined to use it. "Please. I know you've been hurt. You've been hurt and I'm sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

Axl's facial reaction sent a rush of euphoria through X's veins. All in one second, the Blue Bomber silently gave thanks to the heavens, Dr. Light, and all that glimmered with pure light. The intensity of his voice evidently provided the perfect support for his words, as proven by the Black Tiger's reaction. The wounded canine was silent, devoid of anger and starving. "If I could sacrifice my life to have your pain erased, I would," X went on, gaining more ground. With each word he softened the other's face, restoring the aura of an injured animal.

"I would-wait a minute. Did you mention the word 'clean'?"

Poor question to ask. A knife stabbed the young Reploid's heart, giving him the pristine face of a broken-hearted child. White venom pierced X's soul as he realized how far the Scouts had gone. They had done the unthinkable, tearing apart a feather's soul-

The Black Tiger stood his ground, but was ready to bolt if X did or said anything harmful. His eyes conveyed the desire to run, but also conveyed yearning. Deep, powerful yearning that transcended the reach of time itself. Tears struck his eyes as X stepped towards him, reaching out to him with not only his body, but with his heart and soul. "We're getting you out of here," the older Hunter said softly, reassuringly.

"We're taking you home, and we're going to share our first Christmas together."

"Really?" a puppy whimpered, dangerously close to sobbing. His body soon came into contact with a warm, comforting entity, instantly plunging into a chasm of deep relief. "Really really," was the tender answer, accompanied by gentle caresses. The Black Tiger, no different from a kitten, surrendered himself to the other's embrace. Through the night's tears he shut his eyes, melting into the Blue Bomber's touches.

Hands were delicate paintbrushes, dancing across the canvas that was his body. He shuddered, clasping his hands together and placing them against his own chest. Warm, gentle hands touched everything he had come to loathe, treating each part of his body as if angels had made it. "I'll heal you," a voice whispered, heavy with desire as a red jewel began to glow.

"I'll take care of you. I'll love you, now and forever."

"Really?" the younger voice sobbed, taking a few sniffs. Hands cupped his face, and fingers caressed his cheeks. His body, once in the grip of Pisces, was already feeling much better. His heart fell into warm, sweet security, discovering what so many humans had already experienced. Fingers were tender, dancing, making their way onto his fragile skin-

"Really really."

Two pairs of ravenous lips met, questing for eternal satisfaction. Whimpers rose from trembling chests, slowly melting into deep thrusts of the heart. Two bodies melted into each other, spreading across each other as sunlight spread over a dark valley.

Gasps emerged from the pit of Axl's stomach, closely followed by whimpers that were akin to the sounds of a hungry kitten. Fueled by fire he could not fathom, X slathered him in kisses. The rain of euphoria fell onto the Black Tiger's chest, collarbone, and soon neck. The neck, as X instantly discovered, was a gold mine. Once his lips discovered that particular area, Axl emitted an incomparable sound that combined a moan and grunt. Shutting his eyes, he threw back his head-begging for the contact to continue. His neck was drenched in more kisses, gasps rose from his quivering chest-

And another fusion between a moan and grunt emerged. X's hands had struck another gold mine, discovering the gentle flesh that dwelled beneath Axl's bloodied armor. The skin was delicate, even softer than silk, and barely emerging from torment. Kisses drew a deep, heavy sigh from the Black Tiger's mouth, falling onto his shoulders. Hands fondled a waist, promising to give happiness, love and solace. The younger Hunter begged for more, body moving in a soft, slow rhythm with the other's. He whispered the other's name, begging him to continue, never wanting his healing process to end-

"Hey! No one hired you two to have a sex parade in public! We're supposed to be Hunters here!"

At the arrival of Zero's voice, two hearts soared out of the galaxy. X and Axl, breaking out of their spell, exchanged the warmest of smiles. Then they turned their eyes on to two approaching figures, one of them Zero. The other was none other than Spider, and a perfectly happy Spider at that. "No one asked you to watch," the Black Tiger said cheekily, face ablaze with adoration. X, on his own end, pretended to be quite miffed.

"No one certainly asked you to interrupt! Who do you think you are, interrupting a breakthrough?!"

Zero looked as innocent as a baby bird. "Breakthrough? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my progress with Axl! As you know, he's been through a lot of hardships! I was in the process of comforting him!"

"So," Spider put in, exchanging an affectionate smile with the tiger. "is that the process you put all of your patients through, doc? You must run quite the office!"

"Yeah! While you two were getting your freak on, we were being massacred by our grand host's friends! We could have died, you know!"

"The world would have been better off without you! And you couldn't have stepped into a very precious moment!"

"You're shoving me out of the picture in favor of Axl? How could you?" the crimson Hunter asked, pretending to cringe in horror-and playfully mocking his young friend's darkest fears. As a result, he gained a tender smile from the tiger. "I thought we had something special! Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Apparently not," a certain tiger said, beaming. "I win!"

A moment of silence drifted between them, warm and incandescent. "You gonna be all right, Tiger?" Spider asked softly, breaking the silence by voicing the one question on three minds. Axl nodded with a luminous smile, earning a broad smile of pride from Zero.

"Yep. Sure am!"

"Always the one to bounce back, aren't 'cha?" Zero asked, eyes ablaze with admiration. "Wow. Who thought you'd be happy with ol' stick-in-the-mud X?"

Before X could initiate another round of banter, a very happy Axl answered. "I didn't see it coming," he replied, face glowing. "but I'm glad. I'm glad he feels the way I do about him, and...I'm glad to have you guys here too."

Nothing more was said for another moment. Nothing else needed to be said. The looks on each of their faces spoke volumes, painting a picture that would forever be remembered. X smiled at Spider, Spider smiled at Zero, and Zero smiled at Axl, who couldn't have been happier. A final smile was shared between X and Axl before the group rushed off into the unknown, ephemeral but eternal.

Love might have been X's greatest threat, but it was also his greatest weapon-and he was determined to use it against the remaining Scouts.

* * *

This was composed to the Final Fantasy X soundtrack, and was heavily inspired by the Xenosaga series.

Spider is originally from Command Mission, and turns out to be the character named Redips. For the sake of this tale, and a brand new adventure, I decided to have him exist as his own Reploid. Originally, Bass was going to work alongside Zero, but I wanted to try something new-and Spider was undeniably cool in Command Mission.

The Scouts of the Aquarian Age are original Mavericks. XD And, if you weren't able to figure it out, they were really dirty with Axl. I'll leave everything else up to your imagination! As for the imagination, it's always fun writing the lines for the characters while thinking of their voice actors. It provides the adventure with a more realistic touch, no?

The 'really really' lines were inspired by the Shrek and Austin Powers films. XD

Thank you so much for stopping by! I really hope you enjoyed yourselves!


	2. Total Eclipse of the Heart

Hello there, kiddies! You have stepped into the second chapter of Beyond. I'm glad you made it this far, but take this into consideration: **_this tale features heavy dosages of yaoi._** Thank you for paying such close attention!

* * *

"That's it, then," Spider said with a shrug. "It's all settled. You've found your Christmas angel."

Sitting inside of the Maverick Hunter Infirmary, three Reploids were contemplating the future. Their world was illuminated by red and pink Christmas bulbs, glistening as flowers would underneath the proud sun. Time honored Christmas melodies were drifting out of the intercom system, dancing across time's surface as dainty leaves. Burl Ives shared the tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with humans and Reploids, brightening many hearts but unable to lift one particular heart. One Reploid was in the Infirmary's care, his health supervised by the doting Cain and several others. As a result, three were gravely worried over him-but at least two were able to smile. One member of the trio couldn't bring himself to smile, not even at Burl's performance of 'Silver and Gold'.

Cain, always as calm as Santa, was working to secure a young Hunter's future. The Hunter had just returned to HQ from a period of captivity, ensnared by the barbaric Aquarian Age Scouts. While his latest patient agreed to be examined in high spirits, X just couldn't bring himself to focus on sunshine. True to form, the Blue Bomber worried over the dark crevices. What if Cain and the others discovered an abnormal element inside of Axl's body? What kind of abnormality would it be? How large would it be? What kind of damage would it do? Would it be deadly, curable, poisonous-

While Spider had his back against a wall, Zero was sitting alongside the inconsolable X. The crimson Hunter appeared to be peaceful, at his friend's side with a merry smile. X, as a result of the HQ's Christmas spirit (and Axl's entrance into the Infirmary), had just recited a timeless Christmas tale. Dr. Thomas Light had blessed him with the tale, making it one of his many childhood tales. According to the Christmas tale, an ancient kingdom chose its most precious member to be the Christmas star. The star was a representative of love, prosperity and eternal happiness, fated to bless the kingdom for the upcoming year. X might not have been a king, but it didn't take him half a second to choose his star.

Zero couldn't help but smile at X. The Blue Bomber had a face akin to a discouraged elf. "I've got more than one," he said proudly, glowing as a star in a moonlit sky. "We'll save 'share and tell' for later, though. It's just nice to see X moping over something else for a change."

X's facial reaction instantly sent the playful Zero on defense. "Well, you were always moaning and groaning over how crappy your job was," he said hastily, eyes bearing Santa's warm magic. "Doom and gloom this, doom and gloom that. It was always the same thing, over and over again. Why am I fighting? What if I turn into a Maverick? Blah blah blaaah."

The blue Hunter shot him a glare, but resigned himself to silence. However, the glare was far from venomous. X looked as if he had accidentally eaten a grapefruit, and didn't take a shine to its extreme power. With adoration overflowing out of his heart, Zero decided to run with the banter he initiated. "Oh, take care of me, Zero," he said, batting his eyes in a coquettish manner. His voice held an exaggerated degree of sorrow, which could have easily belonged to an actress of a B-rated horror movie. And, as if on cue, the Grinch's theme arrived on the scene. Thurl Ravenscroft added just the right magic to the environment.

"If I turn Maverick, please take care of me! Oh, Zero, the world's coming to an end! The sky's falling and I can't understand the Maverick Rebellion!"

X tried to keep up his glare, but faltered. His glare to the crimson Hunter was infused with the warmth of a smile. He couldn't deny the truth behind Zero's words, and Zero knew he was on the right track. "Yeah, I listened to you," he went on, pretending to be nonchalant. "but you got kinda boring after a while. It was nice to see you retire, even if it was for a minute."

"Glad you found the inspiration to bounce back," Spider put in, tipping his hat. "The world would have been lost without you."

"Yeah, and I would have been lost without him. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have returned to the front lines."

Although X's words were meant to playfully poke at Zero, they were laden with pain. The blue Hunter couldn't even bring himself to use Axl's name, let alone think of him. "I'm sorry if I annoyed a certain Hunter, but the world was a dreary place. There was so much confusion, so much anguish and conflict, I didn't know where to turn. If he had never entered our lives, I most likely would have turned into a hermit."

The blonde legend not only understood X's feelings, but respected them. "And you would have left me behind?" he asked, voice devoid of a child's roguish quality but filled with brotherly love.

"I most certainly would have. You would have been just fine without me, because you would have drowned in the attention of Sigma and Spider."

"Sigma's dead, X."

"You don't know that. And even if he is, he'll forever live on in your heart," the recipient of Zero's words said, bearing a frail but charming smile. "You'd find some way to restore him anyway. Getting back on track, if he hadn't taught me the values of life, I wouldn't have found the strength to keep up the good fight. I would have lost my zest for the Hunter life quite some time ago."

Spider eyed X with the eyes of a proud coach. "Tell me, good sir. Just how did our young Tiger have an effect on you? I'm stepping into the program a little late, as you can see."

Before he dove into a response, X threw back his head with a sigh. "I lost sight of everything that was important," he said, not only speaking to Spider but to himself. Regret, sorrow and the warmest affection melted throughout his voice, spilling onto the world as soft butter. "I became so immersed in the world's problems, I lost sight of why I became a Hunter. Over time, everything just became a burden to me. The Mavericks, Sigma, the rebellions...it all wore me down. I felt like I had become a record spinning on a record player. I lost the magic I had in my easier life. I lost the one I was once was. I lost the light I believed in as 'Mega Man'...and became X. A Hunter's job was just one colossal responsibility for me, but then...he came into my life and changed everything. He reminded me of everything I had thrown away."

"Bet you can figure out the second half of the story," Zero said, tilting his head towards Spider. He received a merry nod as a response, but Spider's smile soon melted into a soft frown.

"If he's so important to you two, how he'd end up snitching on you?"

X winced as if Spider had shoved a cattle prod into his heart. Zero took the baton, raising his hand. "We became so wrapped up in ourselves, we unwittingly pushed him to the side," the blonde legend said ruefully, wearing a sad smile. "X had his hands full with me, and I couldn't tolerate dealing with him. We didn't mean to bench Axl, but...it just happened. And that moronic dolt pretended to be just fine. He swore to us everything was all right, trudged off to his room and submitted himself to Pisces."

"He's always pretending," X added, hands between his palms. Tears were rising in his gentle eyes, causing them to shine as moonlit beaches. "He always keeps everything bottled up. He suffers alone just for the sake of his loved ones."

"Perhaps that's part of what makes him a great Hunter," the former mercenary said, putting an arm about a tearful X's shoulders. "It takes a lot of strength to mask yourself from the world. You're lucky to have such a Hunter on your hands."

By that point, tears were flowing from the moonlit shores. "Yeah, but, I don't want things to be this way. I don't want him to hide himself. I don't want him to play 'pretend', just so we'll be okay. I want him to share his tears. I want him to crack himself open and just let everything out! I want him to get rid of all the pain and anger, so we can have Christmas together! I want to take him to tree lightning in Rockfeller Center! I want him to see snow for the very first time! There's just a lot of things I don't want, but a lot I do want, and everything I want concerns him!"

"Sheesh! This beats my days with Red Alert, hands down!"

Humans and Reploids alike were rarely exposed to precious miracles. Whenever such a miracle happened to emerge, it was always met with happiness that couldn't properly be measured. The facial reactions were unparalleled, overflowing with the world's euphoria and relief. When family members were reunited, their faces lit up with the most heavenly joy. When a long-lost pet returned home, children's face became the brightest representations of sunshine. When Axl, the Black Tiger of the Maverick Hunters, stepped back into three lives, he was instantly greeted with rapture that brought tears to his eyes. Zero, Spider and X reacted as if they hadn't seen him in years, eyes instantly filling with dewdrops. Zero gave Axl a smile he hadn't even shared with Iris, Spider looked upon him as a mother would gaze upon a sleeping newborn, and X rose from his seat. The look on his face would be forever remembered.

Without a single word, the Blue Bomber threw himself into the Tiger's arms. Hiccups meshed with soft sobs as X memorized the feel of the other's body, his scent and his breathing pattern. Silence drifted between them, without giving birth to any complaints. "You're back," the blue Hunter whispered, eyes shut through a sheet of tears. "You're back. You've come back to us."

"Welcome back, Tiger," Spider said, then turned his attention to Axl's companion. Meanwhile, X buried his face into a smiling Axl's chest. "So. How is he, doc? Will Timmy live to see Christmas morn?"

"He most certainly will," Dr. Cain replied heartily, just in time for a pianist to begin his warm renditions of Christmas music. "Tiny Tim will live far beyond Christmas, actually. There were a few problems here and there, but he'll move on, and we'll all get by. He is Axl, after all, and we're all Hunters-in one way or another."

"What problems did you come across?" X asked instantly, tearing his head out of Axl's chest. "Does Axl have a virus? Is there something wrong with his insides?"

Cain, remembering an old hero of his, smiled fondly at the frantic Hunter. "In the way of viruses, he's all green. He checked out of that area. The worst problem was the damage he suffered from intrusions, or what we fleshies would call 'sexual assaults'. I think he's been patched in more ways than one, though."

The Black Tiger exchanged a smile with Cain, then returned his eyes to X. "They didn't do anything to me because I was fine, just the way I was," he explained, calmly peering into a horrified X's eyes. His voice was light, happy, carefree, just as X and the others remembered it.

"I had everything they wanted. I was feeling pretty bad about everything Pisces put me through, but hearing everything you said kinda wiped it all away."

Zero rose a hand into the air once again. "Don't forget," he said, pretending to be nonchalant. "He did the 'do' with you inside of Gemini's place."

"Nope, I haven't forgotten. How could I? It was the best time of my life!"

Those statements, presented with radiant tranquility, brought a smile to X's face. Axl reinforced each of his statements with an incredibly bright smile, filling the Blue Bomber's heart with something he couldn't put his finger on. It was akin to waters rushing over crystallized rocks, pristine, invigorating and absolutely beautiful. Noticing this, Cain experienced a rush of fatherly joy. "I'm sending him back into the world on a new set of legs," he explained, eyes twinkling. "To make a long story short, we had to give his Auto Recover system a make-over. On top of that, we strengthened his security systems. Now he's indestructible! No one can work their way into our tiger now!"

"Thank goodness! I'm so glad..."

Silence returned to the Maverick Hunter's waiting room, maddening yet beautiful. Cain observed the Hunters as if he were observing a ping pong match, eyes bouncing between faces. Zero's face was serene, Spider had the face of a content mother, Axl couldn't have been any happier, and X...well, X returned his face to Axl's chest, forcing it into a world of tears. Giving a final smile to Zero, Cain made a silent departure, allowing the Hunters to share their thoughts without interference. Charlie Brown's Christmas was celebrated as X lifted his face from Axl's chest, drenched in a combination of emotion.

"I never stopped thinking of you. Not even for a moment."

"And I'm supposed to be sad with this going on?" Axl asked, speaking not only to Zero and Spider, but to himself as well. He threw a playful look of bewilderment to both Hunters, receiving a simultaneous shrug from both. "Don't think so," the crimson Hunter said, as if Axl had inquired after a stock of hot chocolate. "It's not in the cards. Oh, and neither is your apology."

"Don't even think of apologizing," the Blue Bomber said, shaking his head vehemently. "Your actions were justified!"

"X," Axl began, bearing both the look of a carefree infant and a benevolent, rejuvenated sovereign. "do you love me?"

"Yes! Of course I do, you dolt! Very much!"

"Then you don't have to get me anything for Christmas. I'm all set," the Black Tiger replied, sharing his smile with Zero and Spider. "As far as I'm concerned, every day will be Christmas from here on out!"

As Ella Fitzgerald began to sing of a Sleigh Ride, Spider stepped in. "That's nice and all, Axl," he said, face shining with brotherly love. "but you're being demoted."

"Wha-why?!"

"Well, on these grounds. You lied to not just us, but the entire Hunter base. You told us you were all right, but promptly ran off to Pisces's arms. We suffered from a great deal of worry over you, and that's the perfect reason to have you demoted."

"I see where you're going with this," Zero said, grinning like an otter with a fish. "If Axl's demoted far enough, he won't be allowed to leave Headquarters without supervision!"

"Hey! Now wait a minute! You can't-"

"You two are actually hatching a wonderful plan."

"X, I thought you were on my side!"

"I am. I'm also on my side, you beautiful moron, and I love you too much to see you lose yourself again."

While none of them were serious about having Axl demoted, all of them took X's last statements to heart-and said nothing in the moments to come.

* * *

Just so you know, I (obviously) don't own any of the Christmas music featured in this chapter. I own cds, but that's as far as I go. Thank you!

I'm actually becoming quite fond of Spider. The decision to have him act as his own Reploid was a jolly good one to make! I really do think he goes well with Zero, just as much as Bass does. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Spider _is_ a Hunter in this adventure. And several references to the X series were made, between X and Zero. Most of the references were to X4, while the references on X's 'crappy' (as Zero put it) behavior were made in honor of X7.

I know this is a Christmas-themed adventure, but this chapter is a special Thanksgiving gift. Happy Thanksgiving, merry Black Friday, and let the Christmas magic commence!


End file.
